Thursday, October 19, 2006

Overnight TV Ratings -- "Lost" Beat By "Criminal Minds"

Sure, "Lost" is still #1 in coveted 18-49 demos, but there's no denying it has lost more than 25% of its audience from last season (down from 21 million to 16 million). Even more shocking is that "Lost" is losing a third of its huge "Dancing With The Stars" lead-in while "Criminal Minds" is INCREASING by 60% the lead-in it gets from "Jericho." If "Lost" goes off the air for a few months as planned, it's going to drive a stake through the show's heart. When newspapers run articles about the return of numerous characters who used to be at the heart of the storyline, something is very wrong. I've stopped watching. Also a big loser last night was "30 Rock" which plummeted from its first week numbers. Ironically, I gave it another chance because my friends at NYCD liked it -- I found the Tracy Morgan character less annoying and the humor pretty improved. I wouldn't say I LIKED it or would be a faithful viewer, but it was definitely a step forward in quality. Not that it will make any difference. And ignore anyone who says that people don't want to watch shows based on behind-the-scenes of a TV show -- they're ignoring The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, WKRP In Cincinatti etc. All people don't want to watch are bad shows. (Actually, maybe if 30 Rock or Studio 60 were beleagured minor league shows people would like them more. That seems to be a theme in most of the shows I listed. The overnights per MediaWeek's Marc Berman: